The Jets battled to the end Sunday in the rain, making another late charge at home against a division rival. But unlike their week one contest with the Bills, there would be no dramatic come-from-behind win as the Green & White fell to 1-2 after a 15-10 loss to the Patriots. It was the third consecutive matchup these teams have played with the game decided by one possession.

“We just have to keep working,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “Obviously not good enough overall. Third downs, couldn’t run the ball. … Just overall it wasn’t good enough from coaching to players to all of it.”

Trailing by 13-3 in the fourth quarter, QB Zach Wilson got the Jets back in it as he completed 7-of-10 passes on a drive that culminated on FB Nick Bawden’s 1-yard plunge. Wilson, who had just 47 yards on 9-for-17 passing before the scoring drive, passed for 79 yards on the march that ended on Bawden’s first career TD.

With the crowd alive and the Jets defence energised, Jeff Ulbirch’s unit forced a punt on the Patriots ensuing drive. Taking over at his 10-yard line, Wilson couldn’t repeat the magic as two incompletions were followed by a holding call and then a safety by Matthew Judon.

The Jets got another crack at it down 15-10, but Wilson threw incomplete three times before Tyler Conklin was held to 2 yards on fourth-and-10. A Wilson Hail Mary as time expired was knocked around a few times but fell out of the reach of Randall Cobb. The Pats also moved to 1-2, avoiding Bill Belichick’s first 0-3 start since 2000.

The Pats held a 10-3 lead at halftime, outgaining the Jets 216 to 39. The third down issues that plagued the Jets last week in Dallas reappeared as the visitors went 6 of 10 in the opening 30 minutes and the Jets were held to 1 of 8. New England finished 8 of 19 while the Jets ended up 2 of 14 (12.5%), the Green & White’s lowest conversion rate since 2018.

“Even with Aaron [Rodgers] at quarterback, we knew there were going to be some hiccups along the way because of a new offence, new play caller, new o-line, new players all over the offensive side of the ball,” Saleh said. “Now you’ve got this curveball that was sent to us, so they’re acclimating. They’re going to get better, but it’s still very early in the season.”

The only TD in the first half came on a broken coverage as Mac Jones connected with TE Pharoah Brown for a 58-yard score in the second quarter. It was Brown’s first touchdown catch of his career and his first career reception that was longer than 30 yards.

“Mistakes like the 58-yard touchdown can’t happen,” Saleh said. “They can’t happen. Unfortunately it did, but I thought they did a really nice job in the second half locking down and giving us as many opportunities as possible. We had some opportunities there with the football. It was there, it was live. On a couple occasions it felt like we were about that close from flipping the game.”

The Jets’ scoring drive in the second quarter saw Breece Hall (4-17) and Dalvin Cook (4-12) running on 8 of 9 plays before Greg Zeurlein nailed a 52-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 10-3 before the break.

New England won the battle on the ground, churning out 157 yards on 40 carries (3.9 yds/att) while the Jets finished with 38 yards on 22 rushes (1.7 yds/att). Zach Wilson had completions to 8 different receivers, but the Jets had only 128 yards on their 17 completions.

Next Sunday night, the Jets will host the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

It doesn’t get any easier for the New York Jets as they get set to host the New England Patriots in Week 3 action on Sunday evening.

New York is coming off a 30-10 defeat against the Dallas Cowboys and now takes on a Patriots team led by mastermind head coach Bill Belichick. The Jets have lost 14-consecutive games to their AFC rival.

But this New England team could offer the Jets a chance to get back into the win column. The Patriots have opened the year with back-to-back losses to Philadelphia and Miami and are looking to avoid a first 0-3 start under Belichick since his opening campaign with the team back in 2000.

Zach Wilson enjoyed some highs against the Cowboys but the offense, as a whole, will need to produce more than the 10 points scored in Texas. Belichick has made a career out of feasting on young quarterbacks, so it has to be a team effort to assist Wilson. Look for Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook to feature much more heavily after combining just for just eight runs in Week 2 against Dallas.

Defensively, the Jets flew to the football once again in Week 2 and kept the game competitive into the third quarter. This unit plays with so much passion and fire and they will surely make life difficult for a New England attack that has yet to hit top gear with Mac Jones at quarterback.

The Jets have every chance of holding New England – who lack explosive difference-makers at the skill positions – below 20 points in this game. If that happens, and the offense finds its feet, the Jets could enjoy a morale-boosting victory to move to 2-1 on the season, and an impressive 2-0 in the division.

New York Jets – Player to Watch

Garrett Wilson – Wide Receiver… While the Jets must find balance through the run and be cautious in attacking an opportunistic New England secondary, they also have to find ways to get the ball into the hands of their best offensive player. Garrett Wilson caught an acrobatic touchdown against the Bills in Week 1 and proved he can score from anywhere on the field in Week 2. He must be worked into the attack at all costs.

New England Patriots – Player to Watch

Matthew Judon – Edge Rusher… The Cowboys wreaked havoc on the Jets with a fierce pass rush in Week 2 and more of the same can be expected this weekend. How the Jets deal with Matthew Judon will be key. The Pro Bowl star leads the Patriots with two sacks this season and has 30 dating back to 2021 – fourth-best in the NFL.

Stat Attack!

Keep an eye on these two NFL-elite defenders. Cornerback Sauce Gardner leads the NFL with 21 pass defenses dating back to the start of last season. In the same period of time, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has recorded 12 sacks – third-most among interior defensive linemen in the league.

Keys to the game

The Jets will need to lean heavily on their defense and they certainly have the horses to make it a difficult day at the office for Mac Jones. A strong showing on that side of the ball should allow New York to play things closer to the vest on offense, easing some pressure on Wilson.

Hall and Dalvin Cook must be used to establish the run and once the defensive backs sneak up to assist in defending that approach, then Wilson to Wilson becomes a factor. There is no doubt that New England are a very tricky opponent on defense, but when it comes to their offense they are a shadow of their former selves.

The Jets need to play the current team and not New England’s historic past. And they have to continue to move forward despite that early-season trauma of losing Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Every win will go some way to easing that particular pain and this is a close-to-call game that is there for the taking.

Sunday’s defeat in Dallas was disappointing for everyone, but we need to keep some perspective. The Jets have played two of the better teams in the NFL, and currently sit 1-1 which includes a 1-0 record in the division.

This weekend, they’ll get the opportunity to go above .500 and remain unbeaten in the AFC East with the New England Patriots coming to town.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots always present a great challenge, and despite being 0-2, they can’t be underestimated. You know they’re going to be tough and physical, and you know they’re going to be well coached.

Recent history doesn’t look good for the Jets with New York carrying a 14-game losing streak against the Patriots into this matchup. All streaks, good and bad, are there to be broken, and that’s the aim this weekend.

Here are my three keys to the game.

1. Winning the turnover battle

In week one, the Jets were able to make life uncomfortable for Josh Allen, forcing the Bills into four turnovers, and while they failed to record a takeaway against Dallas they had opportunities to do so.

Sauce Gardner dropped a would-be interception and a forced fumble was recovered on a heads-up play by Cowboys centre Tyler Biadasz. While not forcing a turnover is frustrating, not creating the opportunities for turnovers would be significantly worse.

This week they face the Patriots, who have recorded just two takeaways in the first two games, and have given the ball away on four occasions, meaning they have a -2 turnover differential.

The Jets largely protected the football in week one, but late turnovers while chasing the game against Dallas means they’re also at a minus turnover differential (-1).

Winning the turnover battle is important in every game; in divisional games destined to be close, it’s absolutely vital.

2. Offensive line communication

The Jets preparations for the season were less than ideal considering the starting offensive line was unable to play together due to injuries.

It’s been a difficult start to the season for the unit, but there is reason for optimism. So far everyone has come through healthy and they’ve also played two of the best defensive fronts in football.

With repetition comes cohesiveness, and everyone is hoping that the chemistry needed to operate at a high level will develop over the coming weeks.

Communication is always key, but it’s especially so when the opposition likes to blitz. Identifying where the blitz is coming from and communicating assignments is imperative to give the QB an opportunity to make plays down the field.

The New England Patriots have blitzed on 44.3% of snaps this year, only the Minnesota Vikings have blitzed more through the first two weeks (49.3%).

The Jets have allowed pressure on 33.3% of dropbacks through the first two games of the season, that’s the 2nd highest rate in the NFL ahead of only the San Francisco 49ers (40%).

Despite the high blitz intensity, the Patriots have recorded just 4 sacks and the Jets will be hoping to keep that number down on Sunday.

3. Establishing the ground game

The Jets run game did not produce the desired outcome during Sunday’s defeat in Dallas, but sometimes circumstances and game situation dictate the play-calling.

The Patriots are allowing 121 rushing yards per game so far this year and Raheem Mostert had 121 yards himself last week as the Miami Dolphins came out victorious 24-17.

Establishing the ground game early will open opportunities for Zach Wilson to make plays through the air, especially off play-action. While the Patriots may load the box in an attempt to stop Cook and Hall, the Jets have the personnel up-front to create lanes.

Breece Hall has shown himself to be both powerful and elusive; if he’s fed the ball early, it may be a long afternoon for the Patriots run defence.

The Jets average 3.0 yards after contact on rushes, which is the 2nd best mark in football through the first two weeks, and a large part of that is Hall’s ability to run through arm-tackles.

It’s important that the Jets keep faith with the run-game even if it experiences early struggles. As Coach Saleh said this week, it’s important for the defence to get off the field on third-down to present an opportunity for the Jets to run more offensive plays and generate some rhythm, that’s with the unit as a whole, but the offensive line in particular.

The Jets had big hopes in Big D, but they left Texas with a 1-1 record following a 30-10 loss to the Cowboys. While the visitors got an electrifying 68-yard TD reception from Garrett Wilson, Dallas’ offence was the more consistent unit throughout the game that featured two of the most-talented defences in the NFL.

Zach Wilson, who came on in relief of Aaron Rodgers in the Jets’ thrilling Monday night win over the Bills in Week 1, finished 12-of-27 passing for 170 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. All three picks came in the final quarter as the Green & White was trying to put points on the board.

“Up until we had to force it, I thought [Wilson] did a really nice job,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “[Zach] Wilson hit that strike route to Garrett over the middle for that big touchdown. I thought he did a really nice job at the end of half moving to chains getting some points.”

Dak Prescott, meanwhile, connected on more than 80% of his passes while throwing for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dallas dominated time of possession (42:15 to 17:45) and won the battle on third down (53% to 10%) while pass rusher Micah Parsons set the defensive tone with a sack of Wilson on the Jets’ third play from scrimmage. Parsons totaled 2 sacks, 4 QB hits and a forced fumble he recovered as he ripped the ball out of Dalvin Cook’s hands.

“That pass rush, those guys did a good job. You got to give them credit,” Z. Wilson said. “I thought we had a good game plan as far as trying to help those guys out up front. We’re going to go back, and watch see how I can help in the pocket and see if I can get the ball in my hands quicker, but you got to give those guys credit. They did a good job and they made it tough on us.”

Four plays.

That’s all it took for the 2023 NFL season to deliver the cruellest of gut punches to the New York Jets as superstar quarterback and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers was lost for the year to a torn achilles.

How did the shell-shocked Jets respond? They responded like champions, rallying around young quarterback Zach Wilson on offense while unleashing a dominant defense on Buffalo’s Josh Allen, and winning the game on a massive special teams play from undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson.

With that 22-16 overtime win against a high-quality divisional opponent on the board, the resilient Jets face another huge challenge in Week 2 as Robert Saleh’s men head on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys, who were also winners in New York in Week 1.

The Cowboys demolished the New York Giants on the first Sunday of the new campaign, registering a 40-0 win behind some outstanding defensive play. When this game kicks off in Texas on Sunday night, two of the best defenses in the league will be on display.

Speaking to Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, who recorded 10 tackles in Monday’s victory over Buffalo, the Jets have not changed their goals at all for this season. Rodgers visited the players in the team facility midweek and reiterated to the squad that the ambition is still to win the Super Bowl this season.

A win in Dallas could send a serious message around the league and even though Rodgers is now sidelined, we should not forget about the high talent level on this team. Breece Hall at running back and Garrett Wilson at receiver are two stars who can help Zach Wilson prove why he was the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. And the defense has too many difference-makers to list all of them here.

Jets fans may be feeling low this week, but this team is continuing to work and is most definitely plotting to reach the AFC playoffs in January. On that front, it’s business as usual in New York.

New York Jets to Player to Watch

Breece Hall – Running Back… Last week I wrote about Breece Hall working his way back to fitness. Well, he looked pretty good in Week 1 as he rushed for 127 yards on 10 carries and added a 20-yard reception. The Jets simply must field a balanced offense for the remainder of 2023 in order to make life easier for Wilson at quarterback. Hall is much more than a serviceable support item, however. He is an absolute game-changer who can score from anywhere on the field.

Dallas Cowboys Player to Watch

Micah Parsons – Edge Rusher… The Cowboys have a game-changer of their own leading their playoff charge in explosive pass rusher Micah Parsons. There have been lofty comparisons to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, but Parsons has made such claims credible by recording 26 ½ sacks in his first two seasons. He got his third year off to a good start with a sack in Sunday’s win over the Giants. Parsons is a player who must be accounted for on every single snap and a star who can wreck opposing game plans.

Stat Attack!

New York’s defense forced Josh Allen into four giveaways in Week 1 (three interceptions and one lost fumble). This week, the Jets face Dak Prescott, who led all NFL quarterbacks with 15 interceptions in 2022 – despite playing in just 12 games. While Prescott did not throw an interception in Week 1, he did have five multiple-interception games in 2022 – tied for the most in the NFL. You can bet your last pound that Saleh has reminded his defense of those particular facts.

Keys to the game

What’s better than an opening weekend win? An opening weekend win against a divisional opponent. What’s better than that? Doing it in walk-off style. Like a home run to the back of the bleachers, Xavier Gipson’s punt return was electric; Coach Saleh may still be running.

While we received bad news on the injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are 1-0 and ready to move on to Dallas. This is a team game, and each victory needs contributions up and down the roster.

When you play a game like we did on Monday, it’s hard to pick just five players, but I’m going to give you five players who stood out to me.

Xavier Gipson

I wrote about Xavier earlier in the preseason and his undrafted free agent story is one we can all enjoy. Although Gipson wasn’t hugely involved in the offence, his main contribution was one to remember.  His punt return sent MetLife into a rapture, and his wave goodnight while he crossed the line was about as picturesque as you get.

According to NFL Next Gen stats, at the point he caught the ball he had a 0.8% chance of scoring a TD, and he gained 55 yards over expected. He actually covered 99.2 yards in total  when you consider his lateral movement. It was also only the third punt returned for a touchdown in OT in NFL history, and all three have been by rookies.

It was an incredible moment for an incredible talent who had to do it the hard way. Coming in as a UDFA and being a game-winner in week one is rare.

Jordan Whitehead

Coming into 2023, Whitehead’s best season total for interceptions was two, achieved in three different seasons between 2020-2022. After just a single game this year, he already has three. That’s an incredible achievement, and considering it’s three turnovers against one of the best QBs in the league, it’s worth just that little bit more.

The Jets played a lot of three-safety looks to counter Buffalo’s multi-TE sets, which means that Whitehead spent a fair amount of time roaming in the secondary as opposed to being in the box. The results could not have been better.

When you combine the three interceptions with Whitehead not allowing a single catch into his coverage and not missing a single tackle, this was without doubt Jordan’s best game in a Jets uniform. If this is a taste of what’s to come, we’re in for a very exciting season.

Quinton Jefferson

The entire defensive line could be on here. We all know that Quinnen Williams did Quinnen Williams things, and you absolutely have to mention John Franklin-Myers and his eight pressures – he remains one of the most underrated Jets on the roster – but this was an outstanding start for new Jet Quinton Jefferson who got to Josh Allen twice and generated 5 pressures of his own.

Playing next to Williams will provide plenty of opportunities for Jefferson to get after the QB; the more players that teams dedicate to stopping Quinnen, the less they can utilise against Jefferson.

Jefferson’s career high for sacks is 5.5, he’s already 36% of the way there this year.

Quincy Williams

When you’re playing Buffalo you know your linebackers are going to be tested, and Quincy in particular passed the test with flying colours.

Celebrating his return to the Jets, Williams was all over the field with the perfect blend of speed, physicality, and patience.

According to PFF, Williams made 7 defensive stops that constituted an offensive failure, he made key tackle after key tackle and even had a PBU to his name.

Williams has the perfect blend of skills to be one of the best linebackers in football, and if the start of the year is anything to go by, he could vault into that conversation this season.

Breece Hall

Coach Saleh said that the team was going to be smart with Breece, and that’s exactly what happened on Monday night with the second-year pro working his way back from his ACL tear.

Racking up 127 yards on 10 attempts is not a bad night of work, especially when you force 5 missed tackles and have two plays of 15+ yards. His lung busting run of 83 yards flipped the field – and momentum – for the Jets in the second quarter.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Hall had 81 rushing yards over expected, that’s the 5th highest amount by any RB since the start of last season. He also hit 20mph on two occasions Monday night; he was just the third player in the NFL this week to have multiple plays where he hit that speed (Tyreek Hill & Aaron Jones).

Is Breece back? You bet he’s back and he put the league on notice in week one.

After losing QB Aaron Rodgers to injury just four snaps into his New York Jets tenure Monday night, the team showed remarkable resolve to win a dramatic game 22-16 in overtime.

Trailing 13-3 at the half, the Jets staged a stunning second-half rally without their star QB, who was making his first regular season start with the Green & White.

After kicker Tyler Bass tied the game for the Bills in the final seconds of regulation as the ball kissed the left post and bounced through the uprights, rookie WR Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards in front of a delirious MetLife crowd for the game-winning score in the extra period.

Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game the team fears Rodgers sustained an Achilles tear. Zach Wilson replaced Rodgers and finished the game for the Jets and will take over the offensive reins heading into Sunday’s matchup at Dallas.

“I thought he was awesome,” Saleh said of Wilson’s performance in Week 1 in which he threw for 140 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

“He had a couple big third-down throws, clutch throws to extend drives and score points. I thought he commanded the huddle, line of scrimmage, he scrambled for a big one. He threw the interception, still bounced back. It didn’t snowball into anything big. We still have a lot of faith in him. I think we’ve proven that by keeping him here and continuing to invest in him. Excited for him and his opportunity.”

The Jets defense repeatedly got after Bills QB Josh Allen, forcing the star into four turnovers as safety Jordan Whitehead led the way with a remarkable three-interception game – the first of his career.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson had an amazing 3-yard TD grab from Zach Wilson in the fourth quarter to help the Jets tie the game and then Greg Zeurlein’s third field goal of the night — a 33-yarder — gave New York’s AFC representative a 16-13 lead they held until Bass’ FG at the end of regulation.

Running back Breece Hall, who tore his ACL in his rookie season, was fabulous in his return to game action. His 83-yard run in the second quarter set up the Jets’ first points of the season, a 26-yard Zeurlein field goal.

He also added a 20-yard reception on the offense’s second scoring drive that ended with Zeurlein’s 43-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 13-6. He ended the game with 127 yards rushing on just 10 carries.

The Jets got the start they wanted, forcing a punt on the Bills’ first series. Then Hall exploded for 26 yards on the Jets’ first play from scrimmage. But two plays later, Rodgers was sacked by Buffalo edge rusher Leonard Floyd and spun around for a 10-yard loss. The four-time NFL MVP attempted to get back on his feet but crumpled to the ground. Rodgers hobbled to the blue medical tent before exiting on a cart.

“Personally, I don’t hurt for me, I don’t hurt for our locker room, I hurt for Aaron and how much he’s invested in all of this,” Saleh said. “I’m still going to say a prayer, we’re still going to hold out hope, but my heart is with Aaron right now and nowhere else.”

The Jets went on a 13-point run in the second half as the defence began to swarm Bills QB Josh Allen and they were able to force an immediate three-and-out after losing the overtime coin toss.

Linebacker Quincy Williams (10) and CB D.J. Reed (11) combined for 21 tackles and the Jets were credited with 5 sacks. Former Bills DL Quinton Jefferson led the way with 2 QB takedowns.

On a special night, the Jets won it with a special play in overtime as Gipson’s dramatics ended a wild affair.

“I’m going to speak for our entire locker room and say we knew he was going to get one today,” Saleh said. “We just had a feeling. That kid is electric with the ball in his hands. If I’m a team, I’m not kicking to him, but let him keep proving it. I think none of us in the locker room are surprised that he took one.”

The arrival of four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers has been the talk of the town in New York this summer. And with the future Hall of Fame quarterback on board, Jets fans are dreaming of a first Super Bowl appearance since the 1968 season.

Putting the rather gigantic Rodgers news to one side for a moment, this Jets team would have garnered plenty of attention in their own right this season. They showed great signs of promise in 2022, boasting some exciting young players including the Offensive Rookie of the Year in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in cornerback Sauce Gardner.

But Rodgers taking charge of an offense that ranked 29th in scoring a year ago has raised expectations to a new level. A return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 campaign should be on the cards and why not put the Jets in that Super Bowl conversation?

It won’t be an easy start out of the gate in what promises to be a fiercely-competitive AFC East as the Buffalo Bills head into the Big Apple on what is sure to be an emotionally-charged atmosphere on September 11.

The Jets can certainly take heart from the fact they beat the Bills 20-17 in New York in Week 9 last season. These are the kind of games the Jets are going to need to win if they are to prove they are for real. So, while one game does not make a season, this will be a chance for the Jets to lay down a marker and make the rest of the AFC sit up and take notice.

New York Jets Player to Watch

Dalvin Cook – Running Back… Aaron Rodgers would have been the obvious one, but I’m fascinated to see how Dalvin Cook is mixed into the New York offense as fellow running back Breece Hall works his way back from the knee injury that prematurely ended his rookie season. Cook was deemed surplus to requirements in Minnesota so the NFL world will be watching to see what the 28-year-old has to offer. To have any doubt at all about his chances of success feels disrespectful – Cook is a four-time Pro Bowler with four straight 1,100-yard rushing seasons under his belt. He will make a positive impact in New York.

Buffalo Bills Player to Watch

Josh Allen – Quarterback… There is no doubt that Allen is the driving force of the Bills and the cannon-armed passer who can also hurdle defenders and make key runs downfield has firmly established himself as one of the very best in the game. He is a talent who can change games on his own. Allen won 52 regular season games in his first five years in the NFL – the most ever for a player before the age of 27. And from 2020 to 2022, Allen accounted for 130 touchdowns – most in the NFL during that span.

Stat Attack!

Do the Jets have Josh Allen’s number? Against all other teams last year, Buffalo’s star quarterback threw for an average of 280.8 yards per game and posted a QB rating of 100.5. In those games, Allen was sacked an average of 1.8 times. In two games against the Jets, Allen averaged just 176.0 passing yards per game and had a rating of 64.4. He was sacked an average of 4.0 times per game when facing the Jets.

Keys to the game

The impact of Rodgers has to be felt on the offensive side of the ball, that’s for sure. How he connects week in and week out with the likes of Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman will be key and I think we’re going to see that there is plenty of life in the old dog yet. The same can be said for the ground attack because there has to be balance in the New York attack. Will it be Dalvin Cook-led in Week 1 or can Breece Hall be impactful out of the gate? Much of the offensive success will depend on a unit with the most questions marks… the offensive line!

Over on defense, the Jets have to get pressure on Allen and make him uncomfortable. New York certainly have the quarterback hunters to do just that. And if Sauce Gardner can shut down Stefon Diggs, Allen and the Bills could be in for a difficult night. New York will look to frustrate Allen and make him impatient, forcing him to take risks in the passing game. When that happens, the Jets must strike against a quarterback who has thrown an NFL-high 29 interceptions over the last two seasons.

We’ve waited a long time, but finally, it’s game week. The quest for the playoffs starts on Monday against the Buffalo Bills, with the atmosphere set to be electric inside Metlife Stadium. The Bills have won the AFC East each of the last three years, and it’ll be up to the Jets to displace one of the highest-ranked teams in the NFL.

If you want to beat a team like the Bills, a lot of things need to go right. All three facets of the game need to work in unison, but within each unit, there are key matchups to watch, and in today’s column I wanted to highlight three of them.

I’m going to try and avoid the obvious. If Aaron Rodgers plays how Aaron Rodgers can play and Garrett Wilson plays how Garrett Wilson can play, good things are going to happen. But are there some under-the-radar matchups that could be the key to victory? That’s what we’re trying to identify here.

Randall Cobb

Cobb is entering his 13th year in the league, and he’ll have spent 11 of those years catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. That’s 130 games, 764 targets, 532 receptions, 6,316 yards and 47 touchdowns, most of which were played alongside Aaron. That’s a lot of experience and a lot of chemistry.

Most of the focus will be on Garrett Wilson and his budding relationship with Rodgers, but Cobb could be key to unlocking the Bills’ defence.

The Bills had one of the best defences in football last year, ranking second in the league in terms of points allowed (286); only the San Francisco 49ers were stingier (277).

Over the course of his entire career, Cobb has spent 83.1% of his snaps in the slot and there’s a good chance that continues with the Jets. This means he’ll draw the majority of his coverage from Taron Johnson, an incredibly talented player, but an area the Jets can exploit.

Johnson allowed 623 yards and 7 touchdowns into his coverage last year according to PFF, with 376 yards coming after the catch. QBs had a 107.9 passer rating when throwing into his coverage, and with the chemistry between Rodgers and Cobb, this is a matchup that on paper looks favourable.

Jermaine Johnson

A big part of stopping the Bills is stopping Josh Allen, one of the most dangerous multidimensional quarterbacks in football. If he’s not hurting you through the air, then he’s hurting you on the ground.

Jermaine Johnson showed his ability to contain Josh Allen last year with his sideline shoestring tackle, and now he’ll be looking to do even more in the 2023 curtain raiser.

Johnson has been praised this preseason for both his physical and mental progress in terms of his game, and the Bills offer a stern initial test.

Considering he spent the majority of his rookie season on the left side of the line, he’ll be drawing the matchup against Buffalo RT Spencer Brown, a player who was tagged with 4 sacks and 42 pressures allowed last year. Brown is a towering 6’8 and has the potential to overwhelm the best pass-rushers, but Jermaine Johnson has the speed/power combination to cause problems.

I’d expect to see the Bills counter with extra blockers, doubles and chips from the running backs. But JJ could be the key to unsettling Josh Allen. The Bills QB doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses, but his turnover-worthy play rate of 6.1% when pressured was ranked 23rd out of 32 qualified QBs (minimum 100 dropbacks).

Tony Adams

One of the real feel-good stories of the offseason, Adams fought his way onto the roster last year as a UDFA out of Illinois and will now enter the 2023 season as a starter.

Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed will draw the outside assignments against superstar Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, although the Bills could move Diggs into the slot to avoid Sauce as much as possible (Diggs was used in the slot on 34.1% of his snaps last year).

With the coverage outside, there’s a chance that Buffalo uses more tight-end heavy personnel to get Dawson Knox and rookie Dalton Kincaid on the field together; this will put a lot of pressure on the Jets safeties.

Knox is coming off a fine year where he caught 48 balls for 517 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s now joined by Kincaid who enjoyed a stellar final year in Utah. The rookie caught 66 passes for 850 yards and 8 touchdowns in Salt Lake City last year.

Tony Adams has all the athleticism you could want in a safety, and his ability to lock down or limit the production from the tight ends will go a long way to determining the result in this game.

Coaches hate this week of the preseason. It’s when the business side of football takes over, players who have worked their entire lives for an opportunity have their dreams dashed.

It’s hard.

On a human level, you have to say goodbye to people you’ve been around for months, people you’ve worked with, laughed with, shared meals with, day in and day out. While there is genuine excitement for the season, there is also real sadness.

But amongst all those difficult conversations, there are ones that you’d like to bottle up and replay over and over again. I imagine for Coach Saleh, two of those conversations this week were with undrafted free agents, (UDFAs) Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee.

“They called me, I came down and then they tricked me into believing I was gonna get released…[Saleh] said ‘I’m sorry…you made the team’” – Gipson

On 259 occasions during this year’s draft, a team approached the podium with an opportunity to select wide receivers Gipson or Brownlee. On 259 occasions, the teams passed on that opportunity.

If they want to look for further encouragement in their journey, they don’t have to look too far. Allen Lazard, Kenny Yeboah and Irvin Charles all went undrafted at different points and all made the Jets’ initial 53-man roster on offence – Yeboah has since been placed on IR.

Lazard in particular is an example worth trying to replicate. The former Green Bay Packer was a UDFA out of Iowa State in 2018 despite enjoying a productive four years in Ames. He finished his Cyclone career with 241 receptions, 3,360 yards and 26 touchdowns, yet failed to hear his name called over draft weekend.

He was then cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars during his rookie training camp and picked up by the Packers for their practice squad. Eventually, after having to be patient his rookie year, he worked his way up the Green Bay depth chart and finished his time in Wisconsin with a 2022 season that saw him catch 60 balls for 788 yards and 6 touchdowns.

First round picks often get the plaudits and the excitement, but the anatomy of an NFL roster means that your ability to spot talent further down the draft and amongst the pool of UDFAs is what separates some of the good teams from the great ones.

Besides the players mentioned above, the Jets will also carry a number of other UDFAs on the roster. Bryce Huff, Justin Hardee and Tony Adams were all players who failed to find a home through the draft process, and all of those players will play a key role for the Jets in 2023.

“It feels good, we came in together, we played at the NFLPA game together, so we already had a bond and just to make the team with him, knowing all the hard work we put in every day here. Just making sure we’re holding each other accountable at practice and even in the film room, so it feels good to know I’ve got my dog with me and I ain’t gotta go through it by myself” – Brownlee on making the team with Gipson

You don’t have to be a UDFA to be a feel-good story. Speaking to Jets fans, one name continued to come up when I asked about players they wanted to see make the roster.

Chazz Surratt.

Out of high school, Surratt was initially recruited to North Carolina as a quarterback but struggled to find consistency while working through injury. When highly touted QB Sam Howell arrived at Chapel Hill, Surratt had a choice to make, transfer and follow the quarterback dream or switch to defence and play linebacker.

He opted to stay and that decision was validated immediately.

In his first year as a linebacker, he racked up over 100 tackles with 15 for a loss, 6.5 sacks and an interception. The year after that he had 90+ tackles, 6 sacks and an interception.

It’s easy to see why the Minnesota Vikings chose to spend a third-round pick on him in 2021, especially when you add in his lightning-fast 4.59 speed in the 40-yard dash.

Things didn’t work out for Surratt in Minnesota, largely because it was believed he was unsuitable for former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s system. The Vikings loss was the Jets gain. Having spent a year on the practice squad getting to grips with the Jeff Ulbrich/Robert Saleh system, Surratt was able to play free and fast this preseason. His interception against Cleveland came to the obvious delight of Coach Saleh.

All of these players are a testament to the phrase ‘it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish’. Their journeys are nowhere near being complete, but they’re certainly on track.